D4 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



The Chairman. I have taken the liberty to set one of our 

 speakers ahead, or set him back, whichever way you might call it, — 



Mr. Marshall: This clover question is worth about five dollars 

 a minute, and I would like to continue it. Mr. Shubert here has got; 

 as fine, if not the finest orchard, (of course, present company excepted, 

 — I see Pollard looking at me.) that I ever saw. It is down here in 

 Ihis portion of this barren part of the state, in Richardson county. 

 He has got a young orchard there that is in clover now. I believe he 

 cultivated it when it was put in, and sowed it to clover, when it was 

 five or six years old. I want him to tell us about it. 



Mr. Shubert: I would rather not. Mr. Pollard has stated his 

 side of the question, and I would really have to take the other side. 

 But from my point of view I would like to inquire of the professor, 

 how much more water would run off from our rolling land, if it was cov- 

 ered by a dust mulch, than it would from our clover fields. If the pro- 

 fessor will answer me that — if he has found that out he probably^ 

 could tell. But I never have seen in our country, any washes, in 

 our clover fields. Clover, I have never seen, even in our cultivated 

 fields where it was in clover and probably half the rainfall, where 

 the water would run off. I have never seen but very little rainfall 

 run off from our orchard. I think that it is very important that the 

 water should go into the soil to be stored up. In my opinion it is 

 very much cheaper to have the clover on the ground than to try and 

 Iveep it dust mulched. 



Of course in some countries it is very important to have a dust 

 mulch, to retain the moisture. But in our country, in eastern 

 Nebraska, we believe it is much cheaper to keep our orchards in 

 clover, since we can keep the sod out of clover. I believe that is 

 about all I would say. But I would like to have the professor answer 

 that question. I suppose our annual rainfall is somewhere between 

 thirty-five to forty inches. How much of the water would run off our 

 rolling country where it would not run off in the clover fields. 



Prof. Emerson: I cannot say how much more water would run 

 off from the bare ground than clover, or vice versa. I think it would 

 depend on the lay of the land. I think there would be a bigger run 

 off from bare land that clover. I cannot give you the definite amount, 

 that would run off, but anyhow that is my opinion. 



Mr. Shubert: I thought probably you had tested the ground 

 where there were clover fields, and cultivated fields; the amount of 

 moisture that would go into the soil from a certain number of inches 

 of rainfall. 



Prof. Emerson: I do not have any figures on that now. 

 The Chairman: I think we will have to hurry along with the 

 program. I would like to continue this myself, but we have not 



